The subject matter herein relates generally to terminal crimping devices for crimping terminals to wires.
Terminal crimping machines have long been used in the connector industry to terminate terminals to ends of wires. Various terminal crimping machines are hand-tools; however to automate the termination process and thereby speed up the termination process and provide a more repeatable and reliable termination, some terminal crimping machines are electrically, hydraulically or pneumatically actuated. Such terminal crimping machines are typically referred to as a terminator or press. The terminal crimping machines include a movable ram that is moved towards an anvil during a crimping stroke to crimp a terminal to an end of a wire received in a crimping zone between the ram and the anvil.
Some terminal crimping machines, such as machines used for termination of large wires to large wire terminals, have an operator hold the terminal to position the terminal in place in the machine until the crimp tooling has closed enough to grip the terminal. Along with the inefficiency in a manual process, there is a risk of injury to the operator, such as to the operators hand or fingers, when holding the terminal near the crimping zone.
A need remains for a terminal crimping machine that allows hands-free operation and positioning of the terminal during the crimping operation.